【PCauto New Car Channel】《The Daily Car News》column will bring you various fresh and hot new cars and industry information in the automotive industry. We welcome everyone to continue to pay attention. Today's car news includes orders exceeding 70000 units for the new AITO M7, pre-sales for the LUXEED S7 starting on November 9th, Geely Galaxy E8 debut, exposure of the new Tesla Model Y, full launch and delivery of the Changan Qiyuan A07 and A05, further bombardment of pure electric vehicles by Akio Toyoda, BYD's pure electric vehicles surpassing Tesla, and 2000 layoffs in Volkswagen's software department.

　　Recently, AITO officially released its latest battle report, stating that the new AITO M7 has exceeded 70000 units in 45 days after its launch, and has accumulated over 4200 units from October 28th to 29th. This may be the strength of Huawei's empowerment.

　　You should know that this is a mid to large SUV with a starting price of 249800 RMB, and it's no wonder that such a large quantity has driven car dealers crazy, putting pressure on the Li Auto with outstanding performance. When AITO M7 was launched earlier, Li Auto founder, Li Xiang posted an article acknowledging that the release and trading of AITO M7 directly defeated Li Auto Serial ONE. The release of the new AITO M7 has undoubtedly had the greatest impact on the Li Auto L series models. Netizens directly replied to Li Xiang, 'If you are defeated by the industry, admit it.'.

　　The new AITO M7 has shown such performance, on the one hand, it has been newly built with a huge investment of over 500 million RMB, which has significantly improved the structural strength of the body and increased the user's sense of safety when using the car; On the other hand, while increasing the configuration, the starting price has been lowered to 249800 RMB, and a more practical five seater version has been added, as well as equipped with the HUAWEI ADS 2.0 advanced intelligent driving system. The product strength and cost-effectiveness have been greatly improved, thus winning full recognition from the market and consumers.

　　Comment: Although the large quantity of the new AITO M7 has exceeded 70000 units, production capacity is currently a major issue. During the process of waiting for delivery by large customers, other models may attract them, leading to order loss. It has been reported online that AITO and Li Auto have reached the point of subsidy in order to compete with each other and are willing to bear the deposit already paid by the other party.

　　It is understood that the AITO M7 Chongqing factory has an estimated production capacity of 13000 vehicles in October, plans to produce 20000 vehicles in November, and aims to produce 1200 units per day in December. The production capacity is still climbing relatively quickly.

　　On October 30th, the Geely Galaxy E8 officially debuted. The new car is the third model under the Geely Galaxy brand and also the first model in the "Intelligent Pure Electric E Series". It is based on the Sustainable Experience Architecture and is on the same platform as the Zeeker 001. The exterior design is simple and sporty, featuring a sliding back design, equipped with hidden door handles, frameless doors, and through taillights.

　　Thanks to the low front end, streamlined body, external AGS active air intake grille, and low wind resistance sealed pneumatic wheels, the Geely Galaxy E8 has a wind resistance coefficient of only 0.199 Cd.

　　In terms of body size, the Geely Galaxy E8 has a length, width, and height of 5010/1920/1465mm, and a wheelbase of 2925mm, which is similar to the BYD Han EV.

　　The interior is equipped with a 45-inch 8K screen, a half width steering wheel, and a 25.6-inch AR-HUD head up display. It is equipped with Qualcomm's latest 8295 chip, which has 7.5 times the AI computing power of the 8155 chip. In addition, the Geely Galaxy E8 is also equipped with LiDAR, which means it will be equipped with an intelligent advanced driving assistance system.

　　In terms of power, the application information shows that the new car will be equipped with an electric motor provided by Weirui Electric Vehicle Technology (Ningbo) Co., Ltd., with a maximum power of 200 kilowatts. In terms of batteries, lithium iron phosphate battery packs will be equipped. It is understood that the Sustainable Experience Architecture supports 800V high-voltage overcharging, which can achieve a 5-minute charging range of 180km.

　　Comment: From known information, the core highlights of the Geely Galaxy E8 are reflected in its 0.199Cd drag coefficient, 45-inch 8K large screen, and Snapdragon 8295 chip. These models can achieve dimensionality reduction and have a good freshness and attractiveness compared to other models in the same class. However, we look forward to a surprising price if they can ignite a new wave in the mid to large sedan market.

　　Recently, a set of live photos of the new Tesla Model Y were exposed online. From the pictures, it can be seen that the new Model Y has been equipped with a new and consistent headlight assembly from Model 3, with a more narrow and sharp design. At the same time, the front bumper design has also been fine-tuned, eliminating the design of the fog light areas on both sides of the current model, making the front face look more concise.

　　On the side of the car, a hidden door handle design is continued, equipped with privacy glass, and the position of the charging interface remains the same as the current model. The wheel hub style remains unchanged, but the color is the same as the car body. In terms of body size, as a reference, the current Model Y has a length, width, and height of 4750/1921/1624mm, and a wheelbase of 2890mm.

　　In terms of interior design, the new Model Y is expected to be consistent with the new version of the Model, adopting the latest family style design, eliminating traditional steering paddles and gear shifting, and changing gears through the screen. At the same time, an 8-inch touch screen is added to the rear seats, as well as the addition of front seat ventilation and 17 speaker sound system.

　　In terms of power, as a reference, the current Model Y offers options for single motor rear wheel drive and dual motor four-wheel drive. The single motor rear wheel drive version has a maximum power of 299 horsepower, a peak torque of 440 Newton meters, an official acceleration time of 5.9 seconds per 100 kilometers, and a pure electric range of 554 kilometers disclosed by CLTC.

　　The dual motors are tuned for high and low power (long endurance and high performance), with maximum power of 450 horsepower and 486 horsepower, peak torque of 559 N·m and 659 N·m, official acceleration time of 5 seconds and 3.7 seconds per 100 kilometers, and pure electric range under CLTC conditions of 688 kilometers and 615 kilometers, respectively.

　　Comment: In terms of price, the current Model Y has a price range of 263900 to 363900 RMB, of which the high-performance version was just raised from 349900 RMB to 363900 RMB a few days ago, which may pave the way for the price increase of the new model. After all, the starting price of the new Model 3 has increased from 231900 RMB 259900 RMB. If we speculate based on this, the price of the new Model Y is expected to also increase. So, if you want to get a Model Y at the lowest price, perhaps now is the best time.

　　Recently, it was learned from relevant channels that the first pure electric sedan developed by Huawei Smart and Chery, the LUXEED S7, will officially start pre-sale on November 9th. The car is based on the new electric platform E0X and is positioned as a medium to large pure electric sedan. It will also be the first model to be equipped with the HarmonyOS 4 system.

　　It is worth mentioning that at Huawei's autumn full scene new product launch this year, Yu Chengdong, Huawei's executive director, terminal BGCEO, and chairman of Intelligent Automotive Solutions BU, stated in a low key tone that the LUXEED S7 will surpass the Tesla Model S in positioning, and is indeed much more low-key compared to the AITO M9's title of "the best SUV within 10 million".

　　At present, the LUXEED S7 has been declared by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It adopts a brand new design language, with a sporty overall style. The front headlight assembly has a similar design to the AITO M7, with very high recognition. The side adopts a sliding back design, and is equipped with lightweight 21 inch dual five spoke wheels and Brembo brake calipers.

　　In terms of body size, the length, width, and height of the Smart S7 are 4971/1963/1474mm, and the wheelbase is 2950mm.

　　In terms of power, the LUXEED S7 will provide single motor two wheel drive and dual motor four-wheel drive models, with a maximum power of 215 kW for the two wheel drive version and 365 kW for the four-wheel drive version. In terms of batteries, they will be equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries or ternary lithium batteries from Ningde Times.

　　In addition, the LUXEED S7 will also be equipped with the HarmonyOS 4 car engine system and the Huawei ADS 2.0 advanced intelligent driving assistance system, which may also be the reason why Yu Chengdong dares to surpass the Tesla Model S.

　　Comment: The Xingtu STERRA ES on the same platform as the LUXEED S7 has started blind ordering, with a price range of 260000 to 360000 RMB. The LUXEED S7, which is powered by Huawei, is expected to sell for around 300000 RMB. However, considering that the new AITO M7 only starts at 249800 RMB, the price may be very surprising!

　　On October 30th, it was officially announced that Changan Qiyuan A07 and A05 were fully launched and delivered on a large scale. Among them, Changan Qiyuan A07 is positioned as a medium to large new energy sedan, with a length, width, and height of 4905/1910/1480mm respectively, and a wheelbase of 2900mm; It has launched a total of 5 models, including 3 extended range and 2 pure electric models, with a price range of 155900 to 176900 RMB.　　

　　After the pure electric version, the maximum power of the motor reaches 258 horsepower, with a peak torque of 320 N·m, which can achieve breaking 100 in 6 seconds, and the pure electric range of CLTC is 515km. The extended range model is equipped with a 95 horsepower 1.5L naturally aspirated engine and a maximum power of 218 horsepower electric motor. The official acceleration time per 100 kilometers is 7.8 seconds, the fuel consumption is 5L/100km, the CLTC pure electric range is 200km, and the comprehensive range is 1200km.

　　As for the Changan Qiyuan A05, its biggest advantage lies in its price, with a starting price of 89900 RMB being RMB cheaper than the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i, rewriting the era of "oil and electricity at the same price" as "electricity is cheaper than oil". At the same time as being cheap, the size is not small, with a length, width, and height of 4785/1840/1460mm, and a wheelbase of 2765mm.

　　Excellent power and endurance, equipped with a 1.5L plug-in hybrid system, the engine has a maximum power of 110 horsepower and a peak torque of 143 N·m; The maximum power of the drive motor is 190 horsepower and 215 horsepower, respectively, with a peak torque of 330 N · m, a zero acceleration time of 7.9 seconds and 6.8 seconds, and a feed fuel consumption of 4.58L/100km.

　　In terms of range, the pure electric range under CLTC conditions is 70km and 145km respectively, and the comprehensive range can reach 1300km. In addition, it also supports 3.3kW external discharge function.

　　Comment: From the perspective of price and product strength, both models are focused on cost-effectiveness. Compared to models in the same class, they are cheaper, have richer configurations, and have stronger power. It is not difficult to see that the Changan Qiyuan A07 and A05 are respectively targeting the market of BYD Seal DM-i and BYD Qin PLUS DM-i. We will wait and see how much share we can seize.　

　　Recently, according to TBS in Japan, Toyota President Akio Toyoda stated in an interview during the 2023 Japan Mobile Travel Expo that Japanese cars "must win" against Chinese cars. But when asked: What will you win with? Akio Toyoda seems to have insufficient confidence. He believes that simply winning in sales is a viewpoint, and stated that Japanese automakers transport various things on the world's roads. Cars, as a mobile means of transporting information, also transport happiness.

　　It is worth mentioning that at the Tokyo Auto Show opened a few days ago, Akio Toyoda also stated that it is a fact that electric vehicles are not viable. Electric vehicles are polluting and not truly clean energy. Toyota's hydrogen powered vehicles are truly environmentally friendly.

　　In addition, the president of Sony Honda also publicly disparaged the Chinese tram as "no technology at all", and roast that China's new energy vehicles only arrange smart phone icons without technical content.

　　However, it is interesting that when Akio Toyoda  passed by the BYD Tokyo Auto Show booth, his eyes were fixed on the booth, as if he was lost in thought by the high popularity of the booth.

　　Comment: It is not difficult to see from the comments of these car company executives that they seem a bit powerless in the face of the very strong momentum of China's new energy vehicles, and can only pert public attention by making some derogatory remarks about China's new energy vehicles, attempting to cover up their problems and shortcomings in the field of new energy vehicles. However, these remarks cannot change the fact that Japanese cars are currently lagging behind in the field of new energy vehicles, nor can they conceal China's advantages in technology and quality of new energy vehicles.

　　Of course, the new energy vehicle market is like a long marathon race, leading in the first half does not necessarily mean being the first to break the line, and there is a risk of being overtaken in the second half. To maintain a leading position and ultimately win this marathon, Chinese companies still need to continuously innovate and develop technology.　

　　Recently, BYD's sales performance in the third quarter of this year attracted high attention from foreign media. Foreign media stated that Tesla continued to become the world's best-selling pure electric vehicle company with a sales volume of 435059 units in the third quarter. However, due to some upgrades of Tesla's factory, the year-on-year production and sales growth rate was only 27%.

　　BYD's cumulative sales of 431603 pure electric vehicles in the third quarter were only 3456 fewer than Tesla, and the two companies have never been so close. Foreign media also lamented that Tesla's dominant position in the pure electric vehicle industry may be coming to an end and will be surpassed by BYD in the fourth quarter.

　　In addition, in the first nine months of this year, Tesla sold 1324074 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 46%, which is already on par with its cumulative sales in 2022; And BYD's cumulative sales in the first nine months of this year were 1048413 vehicles, surpassing last year's 900000 vehicles, an increase of 80% year-on-year. If this trend continues, BYD will surpass Tesla in 2024 and become the world's best-selling pure electric vehicle company.

　　Comment: Of course, regardless of winning the championship, the competition between BYD and Tesla will continue to be fierce, and the future market pattern will be influenced by various factors. For consumers, more intense competition will bring more choices and higher quality products.

　On October 30th, according to overseas media reports, CARIAD, the software department of Volkswagen, plans to lay off 2000 employees. Based on CARIAD's approximately 5000 engineers and developers worldwide, the direct layoffs are very significant.

　　Although layoffs can reduce costs, alleviate economic pressure, and protect the survival and development of enterprises, they can affect research and development progress and be dragged down. According to reports, the software architecture 1.2 originally planned for the first time on the Audi Q6 etron and Porsche Macan EV will be delayed by 16 to 18 months; The 2.0 architecture planned to be launched in 2025 will also face the fate of redevelopment.

　　An executive also pointed out that the layoff plan not only affects the development of the current model, but also affects the development of the SSP platform, the foundation of future electric vehicle models. According to the plan, starting from the pure electric Trinity model, all future electric vehicle models will be built based on this platform.

　　However, it is worth mentioning that in May this year, in order to solve development progress problem, Volkswagen directly abolished the CARIAD board of directors, leaving only the personnel supervisor. Subsequently, the CARIAD architecture was restructured and a new CEO was appointed. However, these changes do not seem to bring significant good news to CARIAD.

　　According to official data, CARIAD suffered a loss of 1.332 billion euros in 2021, an operating loss of 2.068 billion euros in 2022, and a cumulative loss of nearly 3.4 billion euros (approximately 25.8 billion RMB) in two years. The financial situation is very severe, and a large number of layoffs seems reasonable.  (Text: Wu Qixing from PCauto)